Do you ever watch or visualise a sport and think 'yeah, I could do that'. Of course there are many, and of those many are out of reach. Those thoughts are just hapless dreams, not even aspirational hopes or plans. But some, just a few are very real possibilities, something tangible, in reach...something I really could do. Ball sports do nothing for me, either to watch and certainly not to participate. Even wheel based sport doesn't really tick my box, though shiny nuts and bolts do. But today, it's swimming that is foremost in the small 'sporty' corner of my thoughts. It's not a big ask, but I just wish I could swim. That's all. Actually it's not. Not at all. If I could swim front crawl, then I could do Tri, having already dabbled. And it also seems like a good little project. But every time I get in the pool...nope, I just can't, and essentially hate it. A friend of mine has a very simple philosophy 'no, I don't like it'. And that's it. It's difficult to disagree. 
So, Pete at this very moment is in Llandudno at the Xtramile Events Triathlon, the same people who organised the Wilmslow Tri. Yesterday I went round to his house, knocked on his door like a schoolboy asking if Pete was in, to be told he's in the back garden playing and go round. I did, and there he is running around his garden in his wetsuit...in the rain, his bike hung on an old clothes rack practising transition practice. He looked at me sheepishly, like he'd been caught. He had. But that's the thing with Tri...it's testing. 
And I'm missing that right now. Missing having a project, a project to test me, missing having a project I can impress upon others and enthuse them with the self belief that they can do this. Pete was doing a sea swim today, a 1500m out and back in the rain and swell. Imagine that. Imagine swimming in the sea. I wish I could do that. Pete wasn't looking forward. Nervous. In fact I asked him as he was coming home to summarise the day in one word. His text read 'horrid'. He has a story to tell...an adventure. That's what we miss. Anyway, he was busy, everyone is busy or unavailable, so I dug deep, I went for a run myself today. Looking outside, it was less than inviting. I zagged. 
Macclesfield Forest, round Shutlingsloe, and across up Charity Lane, to Teggs Nose and back over the reservoirs. It was raining...hard. I loved it. 8.5 miles of splashy kinda of fun fun! Just shorts and tee shirt, my iphone and a cereal bar. Not quite the same as summer rain, more just raining in summer. It was cloudy on top, but my oh my, was it invigorating. Being and enjoying the outdoors. Wow. What was also pleasing was that the man and his van was there with his fine cakes and comforting hot chocolate. A LHC, a slice of average LDC...oh, and a banana...which I still have. I noticed a kind of stall or something with some girls behind selling some stuff. 
In the rain, they looked lonely, desperate, but I was over here, and they were over there and so that's how it remained. Sat at the back of the car, getting changed I hear 'hello, you look like you need buscuits'. A girl about 12 yrs old with her little sister, stood there extending their hands with little packets of mighty fine looking biscuits. I laughed, admired and congratulated them on the sales strategy and I am now the former owner of a pack of cherry and coconut short breads. Good work girls. And now, I have a little tasting project of my own...the kettle is on.PS...Llandudno Tri Update - ha ha, the swim was cancelled - Run Bike Run!
